The story behind Ko Yin Fresh Drinking Water
We were travelling on a small boat on Inle Lake when a freak storm hit the lake. We were put ashore in the village of Phaya Taung and were given shelter by the monks. What happened next changed our lives……….and we are now looking to change the lives of the 1000 abandoned and orphaned children at the monastery.
Whilst staying at the monastery I discovered this clean mountain water source on the monastery land. Because of malaria and water borne diseases there is a huge need & demand for bottled water. It is clear that given the Monk’s reputation and the good work they are doing that the people in the surrounding towns and villages would buy this bottled water knowing that every bottle that they buy will pay for one meal for a young school child.
So the idea of Ko Yin Mineral Water became a reality. Thanks to the help and support of the many people who have read the book, ‘Children of the Revolution’, and wanted to help us achieve our vision, the water factory at Phaya Taung Monastery started operating on the 20th of August 2014 . It now provides purified mountain spring water of the highest quality currently to the 1,000 children at the monastery and the surplus water is bottled and sold to the public to provide funds to feed the children. One bottle feeds one child one meal. Without the help and support of all of our sponsors this would not have been possible. However, there is still much to do, and your continued help is very much needed if we are to achieve all our ambitious plans for these very deserving people.
According to UNICEF around 56,000 children under the age of five die every year in Burma from largely preventable and treatable diseases. More than 40,000 of them are less than a month old. That’s the highest infant mortality rate among ASEAN member countries.
One of the main reasons behind this is the lack of safe drinking water.
Progress and Plans
To bring you fully up to date with all our news – and there is lots of it – I have prepared an illustrated report which I hope you will enjoy, and encourage you to further support our plans to bring a medical facility to this very isolated community. To read it please click on the link